Five Questions with VV Brown

British artist VV Brown is taking the music world by storm. She was one of the biggest artists to watch in 2009 both in the U.K. and the U.S. and it looks like she won't be slowing down in 2010 anytime soon! We caught up with Brown to chat about her debut album, Travelling Like the Light, and the looming holiday coming up — Valentine's Day. See what she had to say below.

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CosmoGirl: Your album, Travelling Like the Light will be released in the U.S. Feb. 9. What can we expect from it?

VV Brown: I put a lot of love, work, and soul into this album. I played the instruments you hear in it and I produced it. It was made during a time in my life when I was inspired by old-school '50s music, punk, Nintendo games, and electro music simultaneously.

CG: You are originally from London but have been spending a little time in the U.S. lately for the album. What is your favorite thing about New York?

VV: I absolutely love New York, it is so similar to London. I think in general, English people are a little more conservative and in New York people can be a little more abrupt. New Yorkers also swear more — which I love! One big difference is that in London we have black cabs instead of yellow.

CG: Did you write this album at a specific moment in your life?

VV: When I wrote this album, I had no money and no record deal. It was written so quickly because I had just split up with my boyfriend and my heart was broken. I had a lot I wanted to say, so I expressed myself through music rather than calling my girlfriends.

CG: How long have you been writing music?

VV: I started playing classical piano at 6. In general, my family went to church a lot so I was involved in gospel music and as I got older I got into pop and punk. I've always been influenced by Grace Jones and Billy Holiday just to name a few and then I jumped into jazz when I started playing the trumpet.

CG: Valentine's Day is coming up! What do you think about the holiday?

VV: I love Valentine's Day when I have a boyfriend and hate it when I don't. It's a bit like a socially conditioned holiday. We should really send cards to people we love all throughout the year, not just one day.